Financing Your Graduate Education The
College of Saint Rose
Table of Contents: Financing Your Graduate Education............................................2 Applying for Financial Aid ..........................................................3 Grants, Graduate Assistantships, Loans & Scholarships..........4-6 Payment Information ................................................................7 For Further Assistance ..............................................................8
The College of Saint Rose: Graduate Degrees with a Purpose 52 degrees that will put you in demand. Propel your career. Enrich yourself. Earn a Saint Rose graduate degree. The MBA program provided
Individuals who have earned Saint Rose graduate degrees are forces for positive change. They
me with deep knowledge in
lead schools, influence public policy, write novels, report the news, build IT systems, conduct
many core concepts of business
with potentials of achieving
groundbreaking research, run corporations, and start their own companies.
advanced certificate programs in four different areas. I had
By earning a graduate degree at The College of Saint Rose, students receive personal attention
a great experience with all the
from faculty with distinguished credentials and keen insights. Students enjoy small class sizes,
faculty members who are well
flexible evening, online and day classes, and rigorous fields of study.
educated, experienced and
always eager to help students
to achieve their goals. The College course schedule
Earning a graduate degree is a powerful career move. Graduate students gain the knowledge
facilitates full-time as well as
and cultivate the skills that employers desire, which opens them up to a wider variety of job
part-time students to complete
opportunities. The road to earning a graduate degree will require persistence and perseverance,
their programs at their own
but the results will be rewarding.
convenience. Saint Rose helped me get prepared for my
career by providing me the
Data collected through the Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) still confirms that students
opportunity to work as a
who obtain a graduate education earn more on average than those with only a bachelor’s degree
graduate assistant in
and are better protected from unemployment as is characterized by the graph below:
Institutional Research.
The assistantship helped
me financially to support my education, but most
Median weekly earnings in 2012 ($)
Unemployment rate in 2012 (%) 2.5 2.1 3.5 4.5 6.2 7.7
1,624
Doctoral degree Professional degree
1,735
Master’s degree Bachelor’s degree
All workers: 6.8%
advance my career.
Anku Patel (aka Anku Bhalodia) G’13, MBA
1,066
Associate’s degree
785
Some college, no degree
Less than a high school diploma
12.4
with valuable experience to
1,300
727
High school diploma
8.3
importantly it provided me
652 471
All workers: $815
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The College of Saint Rose Graduate Assistantship
program enabled me to ease the financial costs of my
master’s degree while also
providing me with the
opportunity to work on
campus and gain valuable
knowledge from dedicated
members of the Saint Rose community. This was
particularly beneficial for my
program in College Student Services Administration
Selecting a field of study is not the only criteria to be considered when choosing a graduate program. A master’s degree is one of the most important investments an individual can make; it is our goal to make your advanced degree an affordable investment. Financial aid comes from a variety of sources – federal loans and institutional aid in the form of scholarships, grants, and graduate assistantships.
Scholarships: Free money that does not need to be repaid. Usually based on prior merit. Grants: Free money that does not need to be repaid. These types of funds can come from the
as my experiential learning
federal government, state government, or the College. May be awarded based on need or
was directly related to my
Loans: Money that is borrowed that must be repaid. Sources of loans can be from the federal
opportunity provided through
my graduate assistantship
career goals. Additionally,
the Financial Aid Office at Saint Rose was an
invaluable resource throughout my time at Saint Rose. They
were supportive and very
willing to answer questions I
had concerning the federal
loans I took out to fund the
balance of my graduate school
education.
Kailah Borchers, G’13, MSED, Associate Advancement Officer Career Services & Volunteer Programs Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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Financing Your Graduate Education
non-need.
government or a private lender (bank or credit union).
Graduate Assistantships: Money that can be earned through on-campus appointments in the Graduate Assistantship Program to be applied toward tuition.
Applying for Financial Aid All students who would like to be considered for financial aid must first be admitted. A financial aid award offer will not be determined until you have been admitted. Graduate students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents wishing to receive financial aid must file a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The first step is to apply online for a PIN at www.pin.ed.gov. If you have already established a PIN in the past, disregard this step. Next, file the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.gov. The College of Saint Rose school code is 002705. Completed FAFSAs are transmitted to the College electronically by the federal government. Beginning in May of the upcoming academic year (or November for a spring semester start), the Office of Financial Aid will start to distribute financial aid award information. Students will be notified of the availability of their aid through their Saint Rose e-mail account. If a Saint Rose e-mail account has not yet been established, a paper copy of the awards will be mailed. Students will be instructed to proceed to the secure area to accept/decline the aid offer.
Upon completing my Bachelor's Degree at Saint Rose, I
immediately decided to stay
to pursue my Master's degree, because the professors here
are excellent and Saint Rose as a whole is like a small
community. However, I was nervous financially about
staying at a private institution
for grad school. I was aware of Graduate Assistant positions
from my undergraduate work,
and was very excited and
pleased when I was offered one. Graduate Assistantships not only provide substantial
financial assistance, but they also allowed me to see the
school in a new light. I am now more aware of different offices
and what they do, and have
connected with more students and faculty members on a
different level. I am thankful
that because of the Graduate Assistantship Program, I was
Prior to joining Saint Rose, I worked as a Communications Associate at the United Nations office in Ukraine, where I was involved in the
implementation of the UN human rights, poverty reduction, climate
able to spend five great years
at The College of Saint Rose. Amanda Daley, BS '12, MSED G' 14
change and healthy lifestyle promotional campaigns. I was passionate about my job and felt that to do it better I needed more profound
and specific knowledge in public relations and communications, as these areas are relatively new in my country. The College of Saint
Rose appealed to me. I came to the Capital Region as a Fulbright
scholar, but this would have never happened if not for Saint Rose
financial aid. I believe that the complex knowledge I gained at Saint
Rose helped me to return home in a new capacity with better under-
standing of the role that public relations plays in the community and
country development, as well as in business and other sectors. Olena Sadovnik, international student, Communications major, MA G’12
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Grants, Graduate Assistantships, Loans & Scholarships Graduate Assistantship Program The College offers 120 appointments each academic year for full-time graduate students to work with faculty and administrators in professional experiences that augment their studies. Assistantship duties range from research to student services to tutoring. Two-semester appointments begin in the fall semester and pay students $3,200 each fall and spring semester for working 150 hours per semester (approx. 10 hours per week). The appointment process is competitive; admitted graduate students apply for open positions beginning in March and a majority of positions will be appointed by June 15. Graduate Assistantship positions are renewable depending on available funding, student enrollment, as well as upon agreement of both the supervisor and student. To learn more about assistantship opportunities, please visit www.strose.edu/gradassistance.
Scholarships Merit-based scholarships are available to full- and part-time graduate students enrolled in master’s degree programs. These awards offer ¼-tuition and ½-tuition scholarships as well as a number of smaller awards. To receive consideration for a scholarship award, applicants must submit a separate application and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application. Scholarship recipients must maintain a 3.3 grade point average to maintain their award which is detailed on the scholarship application. Awards include: •
Barbara Ann Carr
•
Peter M. & Anne M. Tully
•
Cultural Diversity
•
Sacred Heart / Walter L. Hahn
•
George & Caroline Winkler
•
Second Chance
•
Graduate
•
Sister Anne L. Clark
•
International
•
Technology Education
Scholarship Deadlines: Second Chance Scholarship: Fall – June 1, Spring – November 1 All Other Scholarships: Fall – April 15, Spring – October 15 To learn more about our scholarship opportunities, please visit www.strose.edu/gradassistance.
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TEACH Grant The Federal TEACH Grant (Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education) provides a grant to students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents who intend to teach in a public or private school, serving low-income students in a high-need field at either the elementary or secondary level. In return for these academically competitive grants, students must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years of completing the program of study. Applicants must be enrolled in a master’s degree program to be eligible for this opportunity (Certificate of Advanced Study does not qualify). Students are required to file a FAFSA and complete a separate application to obtain a TEACH grant. To learn more about the TEACH Grant, please visit www.strose.edu/finaid (look under “Types of Aid”).
Math and Science Teacher Scholarships New York State offers one-year Math and Science Teaching Incentive Scholarships to full-time graduate students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents pursuing careers in secondary math and science teaching (grades 7–12) in New York State. The scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis and require the completion of a supplement that must be returned to the NYS Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC). This program provides awards in exchange for five years’ of full-time employment as NYS secondary education math or science teachers. To learn more, please visit www.hesc.ny.gov.
Federal Direct Student Loans The Unsubsidized Direct Loan is available to graduate students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Graduate students are eligible to borrow up to $20,500 per year. For the unsubsidized loan, the government does not subsidize the interest on the loan. Students must file a FAFSA and be enrolled on at least a half-time basis (6 credit hours) to receive an unsubsidized loan.
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Grants, Graduate Assistantships, Loans & Scholarships (continued) Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loans PLUS loans are federal loans that graduate students can also utilize to help pay for their education expenses. This program allows students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents to borrow up to the standard graduate cost of attendance less other aid received. This is a non-need-based loan program provided by the Department of Education. A credit check is required to be considered for this program. Students must file a FAFSA and be enrolled on at least a half-time basis (6 credit hours) to receive a PLUS loan. Separate application and steps to apply for the Graduate PLUS loan are available at www.strose.edu/finaid (listed under “Forms”).
International Students International students studying at The College of Saint Rose on an F1 visa are eligible to apply for graduate assistantships, scholarships and on-campus employment (working no more than 20 hours per week). Application procedures for graduate assistantship and scholarship opportunities are the same as those listed above, although filing a FAFSA form is not required. Any on-campus employment opportunities are posted through the Saint Rose Career Center’s online job posting website, eCareerCenter. Please visit www.strose.edu/careercenter to access eCareerCenter.
Veteran Students The College of Saint Rose has been named to the Military Friendly School List. U.S. veterans and dependents may be eligible for specific types of benefits, depending on the veteran's dates of service, length of service, and type of discharge (if no longer active). For a full list of acceptable veterans benefits and contact information, please visit our Veteran’s Information page at www.strose.edu/registrar.
The Sister Anne Clark Scholarship was the key that unlocked the door of opportunity for me. As a mother of four, finishing my master’s degree seemed a necessity after my husband lost his job.
Receiving this scholarship allowed me to move forward. I am excited by my classes and hopeful
that I can return the favor someday to help another reach their goal. The College of Saint Rose
proved they offer more than an excellent education; they offer a helping hand. Maria Noakes, Mental Health Counseling, G’14
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Payment Information Paying your Bill Tuition payments are due ten days prior to the start of the semester. All tuition bills are sent to students through their Saint Rose e-mail account. To learn how to access your Saint Rose e-mail account, please visit http://blackboard.strose.edu.
Payment Plan The Bursar’s office offers a semester-long payment plan. For a small enrollment fee, this interest-free alternative allows students to budget their fall or spring semester tuition payments over the course of three or four months. Students can choose to pay all or a portion of their account balance through the payment plan. Enrollment in this program occurs on a single-semester basis and requires a valid credit card or U.S. bank account number through which funds will be withdrawn on a monthly basis. By the end of the semester, the account balance should be paid off.
Employer Deferment Program Students who receive employer reimbursement for education costs may be eligible for our Tuition Deferment Program. To qualify, students must submit to the Bursar by the second week of class a completed Employer Reimbursement Form with a verification letter from their employer which includes the specific amount of their tuition benefit. There is a small fee to participate in this program, and any tuition or fees which the employer will not cover must be paid by the semester due date (10 days prior to the start of classes). Students are responsible for paying the deferred portion of their account balance no more than three weeks after grades have posted, regardless of whether their employer has reimbursed them at that point. To learn more about paying a bill or the aforementioned programs, please visit www.strose.edu/bursar.
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For Further Assistance Graduate Admissions
Financial Aid Health Services Residence Life Bursar’s Office Registrar’s Office International Students
(518)454-5143 1-800-637-8556 grad@strose.edu (518)458-5464 finaid@strose.edu (518)454-5244 healthservices@strose.edu (518)454-5295 reslife@strose.edu (518)458-5464 bursar@strose.edu (518)458-5464 registrar@strose.edu (518)454-5143 international@strose.edu
Helpful Websites www.strose.edu/finaid
Financial Aid Office
www.strose.edu/grad
Graduate Admissions
www.strose.edu/admissions/veterans
Veteran Resources
www.strose.edu/gradassistance
Financing your Graduate Education
www.fafsa.gov
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
www.studentaid.ed.gov
Federal Student Aid Information
www.fastweb.com
FastWeb Scholarship Search
www.irs.gov/Credits-&-Deductions
Tax Benefits for Education
www.finaid.org
Student Guide to Financial Aid
www.studentloans.gov
Managing your Federal Direct Loan
Important Dates Fall
Spring
Summer
Application Deadlines (Preferred)*
April 15
October 15
March 15
Second Chance Scholarship Deadlines
June 1
November 1
––––
All Other Scholarships Deadlines
April 15
October 15
––––
Graduate Assistantship Program Application Process Opens
March 1
––––
––––
*CITE, College Student Services Administration, Communication Sciences & Disorders, Counseling and School Psychology program deadlines vary; please visit www.strose.edu/grad for program-specific deadlines.
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The
College of Saint Rose
432 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12203-1490 1.800.637.8556
www.strose.edu